Protective shield and fire-shutter.



B- A. PROCYOR. v

PROTECUVE s111511) 11110111155111111511.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 2l. ISH.

2me-m4115511.

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n/mers B. A. PROCTOR.

PROTECTIVE SHIELD AND FIRE SHUITEIR.

APPLICATION FILED LNE 21.1917.

I Patented Mar. 20,1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- 4 Anon/ms UNITED sTA Es PATENT -onrronv BARTON A. PROoroR, or BRIIJGRTON,` New JERSEY, AssIGNoR To KINOIKON APPA- RATUs CORPORATION, or BRIDGETON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION or DELAWARE.'

l PRQTECTIV SHIELD. AND FIRE-SHUTTER.

To all whom t may concern: y Be it known that I, BARTON A. PRocToR, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bridgeton, Cumberland county, State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Protective Shields and Fire-Shutters for Moving-Picture Pro'- jectors, of which the following is a specication.

My invention vrelates to moving picture projectors and more particularly to such projectors as are employed to project or display pictures arranged successively upon a length or reel of film, as isnow common in the art.

More particularly my invention relates to a shield or door for closing the housing, containing the film display mechanism and that part of the ilmlying in the path of the projected beam of light, and to a drop or fire shutter combined with said door in such a way that, when the filmv is being displayed, the housing will be closed but the shutter open while, when. it is necessary to lhave access to the display mechanism for any purpose, the door may be opened so as to completely intercept the projected beam and shield the film against the heat rays constituting apart of said beam. v

The object of my invention is to provlde a door or shield combined with adro or fire shutter for the purpose specific of simple construction, unlikelyvto get out lof l order, and capable of instantly being so disposed as to afford access tothe display mechanism while at the same time com' pletely cutting off` the beam of projected light .and preventing any impingement thereof upon the film. A

In moving picture projectors as now used, the beam of projected light is ordinarily of such intensity that, unless the film be moved across said beam at a suitable rather high` rate of speed, the heat absorbed by such'film will be suihciently great to ignite the film, if

of inflammable material as it commonly is.

' As such 'films not only burn readily but almost explosively, the danger not only to the apparatus but also to other property, as

well as to human life, is very great.

It is often necessary, during the operation of a projector, to open the machine and make some adjustment of the film or of lthe display mechanism. While various devices have been proposed whereby a lire shutter j Specification' of Letters Patent.

is dropped across the path ofthe-projected beam when the display mechanism stops or runs at less than a certain determined speed, such arrangements do lnot contemplate screening the film from the projected beam when the housing is opened vand it is there-` fore necessary, in order to protect thefilm, to extinguish the lantern or, at any rate, to 4lessen its intensity ofillumination. This, however, is a disadvantage not only because it -taXes the operators time and attention but inasmuch as' the display mechanism is then likely Vto be insufliciently illuminated for .the purpose of making the necessary and desired adjustment.

Briefiyfltlescribed, my invention comprises a door or shield which covers or closes that j Patented Mar. 25, 1919. Application filed .Tune 21, i917, Serial-No. 176,051. y l y side of' the display mechanism' housing which is immediately adjacent the projecting lens. In this 'shield I provide an openingadapted to be closed by a suitable -drop shutter attached to the door. The door is arranged slldably (and normally to its plane) with respect to the housing and a movable pin is' somounted in the housing that 1t 1s adapted to be thrown out or in by an operative part of the display mechanism according as the film is running above 0r below or is stationary) a certain critical-rate of speed. When the housing is closed by the door, the re shutteris so located with respect to this p-in that it will be opened by the thrust o-ut pin abutting against it so as to permit the film tobe projected whenever the display mechanism 1s running at more than the determined speed..v If for any reason, and whether the film be running 4or not,

it is desired to get at the display mechanism' n for purposes of adjustment orotherwise, the

door is slid away from the housing thereby carrying the drop shutter awayfrom the pin by means `of which it has been or could be held in open position. The. drop shutter will therefore either close at once or remain closed as the case may be, and, since the door vis moved away from the4 housing along a line normal to itself7 the projected beam will at all times be intercepted and the film protected.

My invention will be'better understood by referring Ito the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 represents an elevation, partly in section, showing as much of a moving picture projector as is necessary to an understanding of the invention, my irnvfixed in the slide bar 12.

proved protective shield being shown in closed position (dotted lines show the open position ot the yshield) `ig12isa view similar to Fig. l but talien i'rom the other sido of the projector, the protective shield being shown in open position; and Fig. 3, is a.

'plan lview, taken along the line 3--3 of Fig.

In the drawings, a, hase or platform 1, adapted to bc 'pivotally mounted upon a suitable pedestal (not shown) so as to -be adjustable about a transverse axis, carries theA ixedly attached housing 2 forthe film 'display mechanism, this housing being provided above and below, respectively, with a film feed reel casing 3 and atake-up reel casing 4.

Sprocketwheels 5,6 and T are driven by suitable n'iechanism (not shown) in the usual way so as to carry film S across the beam of light projected through lenses 9 and 10. l

Housing 2 is provided on its rear side,

adjacent to lens 9 which is directly attached toA the lantern, with a door 11 carrying .a slide bar 12 mounted in slide way 13- tormed upon one side ofthe housing 2. This slide ,way comprises a pair oitl parallel bars 14, 15

fixed against the side ot the housing and covered by a plate 16 provided with a longitudinal slot with which is engaged a pin 1i' Door 11' may hence be slid in and out in a direction normal to its plane so as to either close the housing or completelyvv open the same. A, handle 18 is provided for con 'venience in thus slidably moving the door.

rl`he dooi is provided with a rectangular opening 19, the upper edge of this opening carrying a spindle to which is atiixed a fire shutter 20 and a pinion 21.

Slidably held inthe door 11 with its teeth meshediwith pinionl is a short. raeli rod 22 at the outer end of which is Va transverse push bar Q3. Slidably mounted in the housing 2 is a pin l adapted to be projected oui'- wardly or inivardly with respect-to the hous- .ing according as the Afilm display mechanism is operating at a greater or less rate of speed. This is acctnnplishjed by providing an operative connection between pin 'f2-fl and some movable part of the film display mechanism but this connection is not shown or described herein as not being essential `to the invention. It is, however, shown and described in my companion application, Serial No. 176,052, filed June 21, 1917.

The pin Qiis so located in thehousing that when the door 11 is closed the end of.

lthe pin is in a line which,- projected, will intersect the push bar 23. The lower haltk of the so positioned that, when this lower part of the door is raised. ahook toi-med at one end of a gravity latch 2i' pivotally attached to door 11 is hinged at 125 and provided with an undercut lug 2G the upper half of the door, will engage the undercut end oi lug 26 and hold the .lower halt oiE the door inelevated position: f

The operation oi' in v invention is as follows: When the dooi-is` closed and the displayl n'ieehanism`-is not running, or is running at. less than the critical speed, pin 24 willbe in retracted position and out of con; taci` with push bar'gZi-. The drop Ashutter 2t) will there-tore remain closed by its own weight. lf', however, the display mechanism is run at'a speed greater than the critical speed. pin 2l will be projected from the housing so as to abut and push against push bar 22%, thereby 4pushing rack rod outwardly and rotating pinion 2l so as to raise the drop shutter. y

.lt at any time, whether the display meehan-ism is running or not, it' is desired to gain accessl to the film display mechanism the knob or handle 18 is grasped and the door 11 pulled away from the housing. j This immediately interrupts the cooperative relation between rack rod Q2 and pin 24: and permits the drop shutter to fall and close the door opening. The projected beam of light .tronrthe lantern .is therefore inter- .ccpted at such times.

Yariations of detail will occur to those skilled in the art and are within the scope and spirit oi the following claims.

l. ln amoving picture projector, a hous ingfor the film display mechanism, a door for closing the rear side ot' the housing arrangedto slide in a direction normal to its surface and provided with an opening, a '.iiutt'er for said opening, and a pin movably mounted in the housing and adapted to cooperate with the shutter when theA dooris closed the'position of the pin determining the position otthe shutter, whether open or closed. and being itself determined by the rate of speed oi" the tilm display mechanism.

In a moving picture projector,- a hous-4 ing t'oi the film displa \r mechanism, a. door for closing- 'the rear side of the housing arranged to slide in a direction normal to its surface and provided with an opening, a shutter hinged at the upper edge of the opening, and a movable member mounted in the housing and in cooperative relation with the shutter when the door .is closed so that when the movable member is in one position the sluitter will be opened and when it is in another 'position the shutter willv be permitted to close.

In a. moving picture projector. a housing for the film display mechanism; a door for closing the rearside of the housing arranged to slide in a direction normal to its surface and 'provided with an opening, a shutter hingedat the upper edge of the opening, a pinion fixed to and moving with .iio

the shutter, a rack slid-able in the Idoor and,

meshing with the pinion, and a pin mounted movably in the housing and abutting against thel rack so that the termines the position of the rack and hence of the shutter.

4. In a moving picture projector, a housing for the film display mechanism provided with an opening on the side adjacent the condenser, a door arranged to slide in a direction normal to its surface for closing said housing opening and provided With a second opening, a shutter for said second opening; anda movable member mounted in the housing and in coperative relation With the shutter when the door'is closed the position of the movable member determining the position of the shutter, Whether open or closed.l

5. In a moving pictureY projector, ahoiising for the film display mechanism provided Y position of` the pin de with an opening on the side adjacent the condenser, a door`for closing said housing j`With the shutter When the door is closed 'but 'disconnected therefrom when the door is open, the positionof vthe movable member being controlled by the rate of speed of the film mechanismanditself determining the position of the shutter Whether open or closed.

In testimony whereof I haveihereunto set l.

my hand.

Y. BARTONv A. PROCTOR. 

